MANILA, Philippines – The European Union (EU) is providing €150 000 (about PHP 10.9 million) in humanitarian funding to support people affected by severe flooding across Luzon in the Philippines.
In a news release, the Delegation of the European Union to the Philippines said that the funding will benefit over 32,000 people in some of the hardest-hit areas, including Ilocos Region, Central Luzon and Metro Manila.
The funding will support the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) in providing families with essential household items, including sleeping kits, water containers and hygiene items. The response will also provide hot meals and safe drinking water to people in evacuation centres and affected communities, according to the EU.
The EU added that mobile health teams will offer medical consultations, medicines, health information and mental health support while hygiene activities and disease monitoring will also be conducted to mitigate the risk of water-borne and vector-borne diseases that often become prevalent after flooding.
Courtesy of Philippine Red Cross and Delegation of the European Union to the PH
Since early August, the southwest monsoon, locally known as ‘Habagat’, has been intensified by several tropical cyclones and other weather systems. Prolonged heavy rain has caused widespread flooding and landslides across Luzon, including Metro Manila, and particularly in low-lying, coastal and mountainous areas, damaging homes, roads, bridges, farmland, water supplies and power lines.
By 14 September, more than 10.5 million people had been affected across 11 regions, with more than 120,100 people being displaced in over 500 evacuation centres. More than 4,500 homes have so far been damaged. A total of 188 cities have been declared under a state of calamity, the EU stated.
Courtesy of Philippine Red Cross and Delegation of the European Union to the PH
The funding is part of the EU's overall contribution to the Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF) of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). It comes in addition to the over €2 million already allocated to humanitarian partners in the Philippines at the start of 2026.
The EU is signatory to a €16 million humanitarian delegation agreement with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to support the Federation's Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF). The Disaster Response Emergency Fund was established in 1979 and is supported by contributions from donors.
Each time a National Red Cross or Red Crescent Society needs immediate financial support to respond to a disaster, it can request funds from the DREF, which can then be replenished by the donors.
